More than 200 migrant children rescued in Med

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Palermo, Oct 13 (AFP) A migrant rescue ship in the
Mediterranean carried hundreds of children and unaccompanied
minors from over 15 countries to safety in Italy today.

The Aquarius, a boat operated by charity group SOS
Mediterranee along with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), brought
606 people including 241 minors to Palermo after a series of
rescues at sea on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Nearly 180 of the youngsters were unaccompanied, the
group said. Rescuers could be seen carrying the youngest
charges off the ship, including toddlers in pyjamas and a
week-old baby wrapped up tightly in a pink blanket.

"The many rescue operations carried out by Aquarius in
recent days over a very wide geographical area show that the
humanitarian crisis is still underway or even worsening in the
central Mediterranean," SOS Mediterranee said.

Among the women pulled to safety from unseaworthy
dinghies, 11 were pregnant, two in their ninth month.

The migrants, who set sail from Libya for Italy, came
from countries including Benin, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Nigeria,
Syria, Somalia and Yemen.

Numerous migrants told aid workers they had been victims
of sexual violence and torture in conflict-hit Libya, where
they were held prisoner for months. (AFP)
RB
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This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.